Unstoppable Rooney fires United top with double and closes in on Ronaldo's 42-goal haul (Matt Lawton, Daily Mail)
Sir Alex Ferguson has finally conceded that Wayne Rooney can eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible mark of 42 goals in a season. More.
Signing Rooney is Real Madrid’s new ‘obsession’ (Oliver Kay, The Times) Ramón Calderón, the former Real Madrid president, claimed yesterday that the Spanish club have an “obsession” with enticing Wayne Rooney from Manchester United. More.
Ferguson says Arsenal may be biggest threat (Daniel Taylor, The Guardian)
"It's also going to be a hard-fought tussle with Arsenal coming strongly now and I have a suspicion that they might yet mount the biggest challenge." More.
Stockport County starlet is shock United target (David Middleton, Goal.com)
“He's [Sam Barnes] strong, reads the game well and has good pace. I'll be recommending him to the gaffer,” said Ole Solskjaer. More.
Perhaps drawing Lyon would be a good omen for United, as the last times the two teams met, the reds went on to win the UEFA Champions League in season 2007/8.
Those who attended the away leg that night might remember Carols Tevez's last-gasp header that clinched a 1-1 draw for United, before Ronaldo's solo goal edged them through to the quarter finals.
What they also may remember is the small allocation of just 1,700 tickets United got that night, and would probably get again if the two clubs come out of the hat in Friday's 11:00 draw.
Lyon's 41,044-capacity Stade de Garland boasts a very good atmosphere and it's easily accessible with its own Metro station to the east of the city.
This is the view from the away end
The city itself is two hours south of Paris and two-and-a-half hours east of Geneva.
You can also reach via many other neighbouring towns and cities. Paying in the region of £120 to get there would be good value for money.
There's plenty to do when you arrive, with welcoming bars in the centre, an ancient amphitheatre and the famous 'Upside Down Elephant' castle which you can reach by a daunting quarter of a mile climb up steps.
From there, you can take in a breathtaking view of the entire city below and, more importantly, there's a bar and a beer garden to see it from.
It's a student city with lots of value-for-money accommodation and very friendly locals. Here are your options for getting there:
Train Manchester - Euston - St Pancras - Lille - Lyon
Depending on date and time of travel and how far in advance you book, this return journey can cost as list as £140. That's £69 London to Lille, £38 from Lille to Lyon, £30 Manchester to Euston and £3 cross-London Tube pass
Flights
To Lyon Gatwick - easyJet - £88 Manchester - Brussells Airlines - £93 via Brussells Stansted - easyJet - £105 Heathrow - BA - £147
To Grenoble Gatwick - easyJet, flythomascook - £96
Then a 90-minute train costing £35 return
To Marsielle Gatwick - British Airways, easyJet - £128 Stansted - Ryanair - £168
Then a 90-minute train costing £58
To Paris Luton - easyJet - £76 East Midlands - bmibaby - £77 Birmingham - Flybe, Air France - £88 Liverpool - easyJet - £104 Leeds - Jet2 - £112 Manchester - Flybe, Air France £164
Then a two-hour train costing £100 return
To Geneva London City - Baboo - £67 Luton - easyJet - £86 Gatwick - easyJet, Snowjet, flythomascook, British Airways - £98 Stansted - easyJet - £101 Heathrow - British Airways - £112 Birmingham - easyJet, bmi baby - £115 Manchester - easyjet, flythomascook, bmi baby, Jet 2 - £163 Liverpool - easyJet - £167
Then a 2.30 train costing £48 return
To Nimes Luton - Ryanair - £52
Then a 2.30 train costing £55 return
To Toulouse Gatwick - easyJet, flythomascook - £74 Bristol - easyJet - £86 Heathrow - British Airways - £161
Then a four-hour train costing £97 return
To Limoges Liverpool - Ryanair - £66 Stansted - Ryanair - £64
Boycotting matches is the only way to get Glazers heading for the exits (James Corrigan, The Independent)
But the only people to blame for that are the governing bodies for allowing a situation where owners with no connection to England's biggest clubs can buy them with little more than a fistful of loan notes. More.
Ferguson hints at Ronaldo return (John Richardson, Daily Express)
Ferguson also knows that Ronaldo’s agent, the respected Jorge Mendes, was keen on the player remaining at Old Trafford but the pull of his boyhood favourite side was too much last summer. More. Second bidder eyeing United (Lawrie Holmes, Daily Telegraph)
Sources close to the situation said the emergence of a second party, thought to be a single entity rather than a consortium, has raised the Glazers' valuation of the club to at least £1.6bn. More.
Harris outlines United masterplan (Neil Ashton, News of the World)
He said: "In any form of takeover you look for as much stability as possible because it is at least for a short while destabilising." More.
Beckham's green and gold stunt was a load of tosh - the only cause he truly supports is himself (Piers Morgan, Daily Mail)
Touching, wasn’t it? But not, I’m afraid, to the cynical eye like mine. More.
Red Knights urge season ticket holders not to renew (Daniel Taylor, The Guardian)
They have guaranteed season-ticket holders they will get their seats back if a mass boycott pressurises the Glazer family to relinquish their ownership. More.
Mancini: Rooney is the best player in the world (Neil McLeman, The Mirror)
The rest of the Manchester United team are also good. Did you see Park? He was always on Andrea Pirlo and did not let him play and then even scored.” More.
United winger Ryan Giggs back 'to destroy Liverpool's title record' (Ian Ladyman, Daily Mail)
'The record we are chasing is four titles in a row - that would be fantastic,' said Ferguson, ahead of Sunday's visit of Fulham. 'And if we get the 19th title it would be the most in the league's history. More.
Rio Ferdinand to banish World Cup fears with new training regime (Mark Ogden, Daily Telegraph)
Ferdinand's back complaint forced him to miss 19 competitive fixtures for United during his three months on the sidelines. More.
Aiming to bring Manchester United fans travel tips for all away games, focusing on Euro aways.
Any contributions, questions or feedback is welcome at redsaway@hotmail.co.uk
